2014 Topps Series 1 “Topps All Rookie Cup Team” – Johnny Bench

Topps’ All-Rookie Team means a lot of different things to a lot of different collectors. But, one thing is for certain – If your card is tagged with the All-Rookie Team logo, you did something during your first season in the big leagues to make yourself stand out from the rest.

And for that reason alone, I can totally support a set of cards that picks ‘The Best Of The Best’ from these teams.

In 2014, Topps issued a subset in their Series 1 release that took one player at each position, naming them to the ‘Topps All Rookie Cup Team’.

Representing the catcher is Johnny Bench:

While he debuted in 1967, Johnny Bench truly burst on to the scene in 1968. At just 20-years old, Bench anchored the Reds defense by playing in 154 games. His skill was immediate – he won the Gold Glove award during his first full-time season. He as also an All-Star with his .275 batting average, 40 doubles, 15 home runs, and 82 RBI.

Bench won the 1968 NL Rookie Of The Year Award as he captured 10.5 of the 20.0 votes cast.